RSC Hamlet Performance

Our talented RSC cast starred in Hamlet at The Marlowe Theatre

Miss Cumming, Mrs Voisey and Mr Best had the pleasure of supporting nine talented performers for their starring roles in The Marlowe Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company's collaborative production of 'Hamlet: Something's Rotten'. Joining 11 schools from across Kent together into one production on the main stage, The Victory Academy's actors were praised for their exceptional command of the Bard's language, the depth of their understanding and fluidity and convincingness of their acting skills. 

The students were a credit to the school throughout the long day, which involved a full technical rehearsal before a little respite in the form of an exploration and lunch in Canterbury before returning to the main stage at The Marlowe Theatre for their dress rehearsal. This was then followed swiftly with the final performance to the public, family, friends and school staff.  

Commanding the professional stage of The Marlowe Theatre is no mean feat, but this cast made it look easy. This Shakespeare Cast, from years 7 to 10, have bonded through this process, supporting and encouraging one another and creating a safe space to explore and be brave with their interpretations and creativity. As a result, the group have not only created an original, captivating and truthful performance, but also deepened their confidence in both exploring and understanding Shakespeare. The students commented on how this confidence has then translated to other areas of their lives and schooling, feeling better able to answer questions in class without fear of getting it wrong, and being assured something that appears challenging at first can become perfectly manageable if the effort and perseverance prevails. With all of this, students have then discovered the enormous self-belief, sense of achievement and raised aspirations projects such as this have grown.

One highlight for Miss Cumming and Mrs Voisey, having worked with this cast throughout the year in preparation for this performance, was the pride and wonder emanating from the sea of parents and family friends greeting the cast after the show.  It was clear parents and students shared the pride in their achievements and were enormously grateful for the opportunity to take part in such a valuable, rewarding process.

Throughout the first two years of our Royal Shakespeare Company Associate School status, we have shown a significant increase in literacy and confidence from all involved. We are delighted to announce we have been accepted to progress into the programme for the next stage of the process, and Mr Best together with Mrs Clarke are excited to welcome a new cast to the RSC programme from September.  All interested students are encouraged to look out for announcements from their form tutor and assemblies, to apply to be a part of the next cohort.

In addition to the yearly production, the Royal Shakespeare Company's Associate Schools Programme has provided students with multiple workshops from professional directors, movement specialists and costume designers. Through these sessions, students have gained valuable insight into some of the breadth of the Performing Arts industry, one of the biggest growing industries in the UK. Miss Cumming and Mrs Voisey have also been busy integrating additional acclaimed RSC active approaches into both English and Performing Arts lessons, to ensure our collaboration in this project benefits all students across The Victory Academy and we are excited to continue to expand further across the curriculum this coming year.

Photo credit: Marlowe Theatre / Steve Gregson Photography